Monday, December 15, 2008

RECIPE ~ Sugarless Fruitcake

Before you say anything, this fruitcake is DELICIOUS. It's nothing like the dreaded holiday variety, but rather a moist, chewy, nutty, dense loaf with hints of citrus. Once again I have my mother to thank for this, as she scours all resources to find sugar-free, wheat-free treats to bake me! This one is from the sugar-free desserts collection of AllRecipes.com.

In a large bowl, mix raisins, nuts, coconut and lemon zest in the flour until well coated. Add cranberries and orange juice mixture. Sprinkle baking soda over mixture, and mix. Stir in spices. Fold in crushed pineapple. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 F for 40-45 minutes. Cool. Makes 1 loaf. Pictured above using spelt flour and dusted with icing sugar (optional).

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHASVATAS soak raisins before using; replace cranberries with cherriesPITTAS replace cranberries with cherries, walnuts with almonds, and dry ginger with 1 tsp fresh gingerKAPHAS rejoice! At last a serious dessert that is Kapha-friendly (with a few adjustments) as it has no added sugar and no oil. Replace walnuts with sunflower seeds or charole, pineapple with strawberries or applesauce, and coconut with pumpkin seeds; use spelt or oat flour

12 comments:

I LOVE fruitcake too. Sad how such a wonderful treat has been vilified here in North America - I blame it on those synthetic cherries and the media. ;) Thank you for sharing this sugarless recipe. I'm completely off sugar right now, and most holiday treats are packed with it. Happy healthy baking!

I'm so happy to see such enthusiasm for this recipe! Racheyalex, see if you can find actual flaked coconut, which looks like thin slices or shards of coconut. Otherwise, the usual grated kind will work too. :-)

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Great idea to make this cake for your friend! We used dried cranberries, which is why they soak in the orange juice, to make them soft. If your friend can't have sugar, make sure you are buying UNSWEETENED cranberries, as most are sweetened to take the bite out of the sourness. If you can't find unsweetened dried cranberries, you can also try dried cherries. If neither are available, try canned cranberries (in water or juice, not in syrup) and use 1 & 1/3 cup drained cranberries and leave out the orange juice.